The Testimony of Taliesin Jones (72 page)

'
Try m
e.
I'm m
ore
willin
g
to bel
ieve
than y
ou
think
.'

C
aesar
h
as a
l
arge
m
ole
up
on
hi
s
f
ace,
next to hi
s
no
se.
It i
s
th
e o
nly bl
emish o
n hi
s
h
andsome
f
eatures.
A mole lik
e
th
at
would
o
nly ne
ed
two
se
ssions
a
t th
e
m
ost
to h
eal.
Hi
s
i
s a
fr
iendly
f
ace, a face
th
at
invit
es co
nfession. But Tali
esin
ca
n't t
ell
h
im a
bout th
e
li
ght a
nd th
e
p
arting
cloud
s; a
bout Bill
y
E
vans a
nd h
is
m
iraculous
h
ealing
po
wer; a
bout Mr
s
Willi
s'
b
ack a
nd hi
s wa
rts;
a
bout
a
ll th
e
p
eople
th
at
Bill
y
h
as
h
ealed wi
th pr
ayer; or a
bout
t
he spirit
a
nd th
e
lo
vely
pr
essure i
n hi
s
h
ead. Caesa
r will think him m
ad
.

'It
's
h
ard
t
o ex
plain, Sir.
'

Th
e
h
eadmaster
g
ives h
im a
di
sappointed
l
ook.

.
'I'm
o
nly
c
urious. I'm inter
ested yo
u
see,'
h
e says
. 'Y
ou
kn
ow w
hat beli
ef
means? You kn
ow w
here th
e
word c
omes
fr
om ?'

T
aliesin
h
as
not questioned the et
ymology
of it
.
'
Sir?'

'It
's a
n Old English word
:
Lief
en.
It m
eans
t
o
m
ake a
llowance for. It isn't just about h
aving fa
ith in
so
methin
g yo
u think is true
.
It actuall
y
m
eans
makin
g
all
owance
f
or
it
,
m
aking
a sacrifice if
y
ou lik
e -
doin
g so
mething
a
bout it
.
Tru
e
believers ne
ver
f
ear
st
anding
up for wh
at
th
ey
bel
ieve. '

T
he h
eadmaster
is right. In
bo
oks, a
nd
s
ometimes
in r
eal
lif
e, he
roes
g
ive
g
reat spee
ches.
F
earlessly,
th
ey s
tand up in fr
ont of eve
ryone in an
open sp
ace a
nd
g
ive
a
word
-perfect s
peech th
at wi
ns the hearts and
mind
s o
f th
eir
li
steners
-
e
ven th
eir e
nemies
a
nd doubt
ers
.
Th
ey co
nfound
eve
ryone with th
e
wi
sdom o
f th
eir
words, the
s
heer ri
ghtness o
f th
em.
Thi
s s
heer r
ightness
i
s
augmented b
y
th
e
timin
g
of th
e s
peech ju
st i
n tim
e
t
o sa
ve the da
y,
t
o save eve
ryone
.
But T
aliesin
d
oesn't
f
eel
r
eady
to gi
ve
that
s
peech
.

Caesa
r's
eyes s
hine.
'
My moth
er was a g
reat beli
ever
in pr
ayer,
'
h
e says
, moving ov
er
to
t
he
w
indow t
o
w
atch s
ome b
oys
k
ick a
b
all a
round the pl
aying
fi
elds. '
She pr
ayed
f
or
m
e
wh
en
I
was ve
ry si
ck
with a fe
ver
on
ce.
Th
e
do
ctors
wer
e
quit
e
w
orried
.
I wa
s
alwa
ys
si
ck.
But thi
s was se
rious; I h
ad a
dan
gerously
hi
gh
temperatur
e.
M
y
m
other
pr
ayed
f
or
m
e
and m
y
t
emperature c
ame down
wi
thin
a
n hour
-
ju
st
lik
e
th
at.'
H
e
fli
cks
hi
s
fingers to empha
size
th
e fac
t.
'
Remarkable r
eally.
Th
e
d
octor
told her that it
was a
mir
acle
.
Sh
e
s
aid
th
at
pr
ayer
w
as
th
e g
reatest medi
cine.
Sh
e a
lways pr
ayed,
for
eve
rything. I d
on't
kno
w
wh
y,
but I'
ve
n
ever
tr
ied
it
.
I h
ave
a
vag
ue bel
ief
in th
ese
things. It i
s o
nly
vag
ue. I
co
uld n
ever c
apture th
e
f
aith
th
at
m
y
mother h
ad.'

T
aliesin wa
nts to tell the h
eadmaster
th
at fa
ith do
esn't c
ome fr
om o
ur
p
arents.
'Ar
e yo
u
a
fraid to share
y
our
bel
ief?' Caesa
r a
sks.
'
Would
yo
u
s
tand up
in fr
ont of
th
e
cl
ass a
nd t
ell
th
em a
bout th
ese
thin
gs
th
at yo
u
say yo
u've
see
n?'

'
Maybe, S
ir. '

'O
nly m
aybe.
Y
ou're
n
ot g
oing to den
y
it th
en?'

'
No,
Si
r.'

Caesa
r l
ooks
a
t th
e
l
etter a
nd fli
cks i
t
wi
th h
is
m
iddle fi
nger.
'
Mrs J
ones says yo
u
s
hould b
e
puni
shed
whi
ch
I
t
hink
is a
littl
e
in
appropriate.
I
co
uld cha
stise y
ou for mi
sleading
J
ones, eve
n i
f i
t w
as
unint
entional,
but I
ca
n't
see
th
at
th
ere
i
s a
nything
w
rong
w
ith
w
hat
'
yo
u
'
v
e
done. M
y
m
other wo
uld h
ave
p
raised no
t puni
shed yo
u
.
H
owever,
I
o
ught t
o
pl
acate
Mr
s
J
ones
s
o
m
e
h
ow
. A
s a compro
mise
yo
u
ca
n
give a Cla
ss
A
ss
e
mbly
.
T
e
ll
w
hat
yo
u've
see
n.
It
'll
m
ake a
chan
ge fro
m
te
lling
t
hem
w
hat
yo
u d
id in yo
ur h
olidays o
r
wha
tever
t
he u
sual C
las
s
A
ssembly to
pic i
s.'